Aimed to provide practice-based evidence, models and frameworks for integrating traditional medicinal practices into a rapidly evolving health delivery system the Department of Health Systems Research has recently been established in January 2022. It works for clinical validation of traditional medicines used in communities. Evaluating efficacy/effectiveness and safety of traditional medicine through pharmacoepidemiological studies; pharmacovigilance of non-codified traditional practices; understanding perception of patients visiting traditional healers, implementation/operational research are some of the key areas of interest in this Department. Apart from serving as a bridge between traditional and modern systems of medicine, the Health Systems Research Department is also mandated to carry out research on diseases of National and regional importance. The Department is particularly active on rural health problems through its research carried out at Model Rural Health Research Unit, Raichur in collaboration with the State Health authorities and the Government Medical Colleges in the Kalyana Karnataka region.
Infrastructure:
ICMR-NITM has established an Integrative Clinic and a School of Traditional Medicine in its campus which provides services of alternative health care of validated traditional medicines for the specific diseases in collaboration with State AYUSH Department. Observational studies, training and outreach activities are carried out by the Department in this facility.
The Model Rural Health Research Unit serves as an off-campus research facility for the Department. It is the epicentre of rural health research of NITM and serve as kitchen garden for evaluating various interventions to address problems of the region like Iodine Deficiency Disorders, Iron Deficiency Anemias, nutritional deficiencies, and Mental wellbeing.
The Health Systems Research Department will be equipped with work stations, conference room for briefing/debriefing, lockers for field workers, archival room with compactor, ethics committee room and storage for drugs and samples upon completion of the upcoming new building at NITM campus. It will also have two bedded medical facility which will be used for clinical research if necessary.
Academics/Studentship:
The Department provides opportunity to post-graduate medical and public health students for internship/observership and collaborative dissertation projects, both at ICMR-NITM, Belagavi and at MRHRU, Raichur. The Department welcomes students/professionals across AYUSH and Medical Disciplines for undertaking Post-Doctoral/Ph.D. and other fellowship programmes at ICMR-NITM.